The Jagannath Puri temple is one of the four holiest temples in the four directions of India. The other three are Rameshwaram in the south, Dwaraka in the west and Badrinath in the Himalayas. The temple in Jagannath Puri is the only temple in the world that has idols of three deities who are brother and sister , Lord Krishna, Balram and Subhadra.Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, one of the biggest religious festivals of India, is starting from Sunday, July 7, 2024 this year. The festival is unique in that the three Hindu deities are taken from their temples in a procession to meet their devotees. The main Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath may be carried out in Odisha, but the Jagannath Rath Yatra is also seen in other parts of the country, especially in the western state of Gujarat. The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is believed to be the oldest Rath Yatra in the world, the festival marks the annual ceremonial lovemaking of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balabhadra and younger sister Subhadra from their home temple to another temple, which is believed to be the home of Lord Jagannath’s aunt. We also find mention of the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra in some mythological religious texts.To kill Lord Krishna and Balram, their maternal uncle Kansa invited them to Mathura. He sent Akrur with a chariot to Gokul. On being asked, Lord Krishna sat on the chariot with Balram and left for Mathura. Devotees celebrate this day of Krishna and Balram’s departure to Mathura as Rath Yatra.
Why are there idols of three siblings in Jagannath temple?
Once the queens of Lord Krishna requested mother Rohini to narrate interesting love stories (Rasa Leela) of Lord Krishna with the gopis. Rohini sent Subhadra away considering it inappropriate for Subhadra to listen to such stories. But Subhadra remained there with Lord Krishna and Balabhadra in the bodiless form. When they were completely engrossed in the stories, Narada arrived, finding the siblings standing together, he prayed, may you three appear in this manner forever and the Lord granted him the boon. Since then, the three reside in the Puri temple of Lord Jagannath forever.
What happened after the cremation of the mortal body of Lord Krishna?
A story that tells us that when Shri Krishna was being cremated in Dwarika, Balarama, very sad, ran to drown himself in the sea with Krishna’s partially cremated remains. He was followed by Subhadra. At the same time, on the eastern coast of India, Indradyumna, the king of Jagannath Puri, dreamt that the Lord’s body was floating to the shores of Puri. He should build a huge idol in the city and consecrate the wooden idols of Krishna, Balarama and Subhadra. Along with this, the ashes of Lord Krishna should be put in the hollow of the back of the idol. The dream came true. The king found the pieces of the bone and brought them along. But the question was who would carve the idols. It is believed that Vishwakarma, the architect of the gods, arrived in the guise of an old carpenter. He made it clear that no one should disturb him while carving the idols and if anyone did so, he would disappear leaving the work incomplete. A few months passed. The impatient Indradyumna opened the door of Vishwakarma’s room. As he had warned earlier, Vishwakarma disappeared immediately. Despite the incomplete idols, the king sanctified them by placing the holy ashes of Lord Krishna in the hollow portion of the idol and installed it in the temple. Since then, a majestic procession is carried out every year with the idols of Lord Krishna, Balram and Subhadra in three huge chariots. The huge chariots are pulled by devotees from Janakpur to the temple in Jagannath Puri. The idols are replaced every 12 years and the new idols are also kept incomplete.
Why is Jagannath Rath Yatra so important?
It is the only festival in the world where deities are brought out of temples for devotees to visit, and is also the world’s largest chariot procession. Millions of people come to see the Jagannath Rath Yatra, with the kings of the legendary dynasty still sweeping the road with a golden mop. His chariots, which are architectural marvels, are constructed in 42 days from over 4,000 pieces of wood, with the craftsmen having a hereditary right to build them. According to some beliefs, it always rains on the day of the Rath Yatra. For a full week before, the temple doors are closed and no one is allowed inside, as it is believed that the deities get a fever after bathing in the sun with 108 pots of water. Their fever breaking calls for a change of scene, which is why they go to their aunt’s or uncle’s house for a few days.
Why does Rath Yatra take place in both Dwarka and Puri?
Devotees in Dwarka celebrate the day when Lord Krishna, along with Balrama, took Subhadra – his sister, on a chariot to show the splendors of the city. Dwarka in Gujarat where the half-decomposed body of Krishna was immersed in the sea. Around 500 hundred years ago, a travelling Hindu saint and temple priest, Shri Sarangdasji, from a Hanuman temple in Gujarat reached Puri to worship at the historic Jagannatha temple.While sleeping in the temple guest house, he received visionary instructions from Lord Jagannathan to go back to Ahmedabad in Gujarat and install the three idols of Jagannathan, Balabhadra and Subhadra there. Fulfilling the instructions received in his dream, he established the Ahmedabad Jagannath Temple. By doing so, he sanctified two places. About 142 years ago, one of the founder’s disciples, Shri Narsinhdasji Maharaj, started the Ahmedabad Rath Yatra.Which sanctifies the two places from where the mortal remains of Krishna left to rest and where they arrived.
What happens to the chariots and elephants after the Rath Yatra?
At the end of the festival, the chariots are dismantled and their wood is used as fuel in the temple kitchen. The kitchen in Jagannath Puri is believed to be the largest in the world where 56 dishes are cooked every day and food prasadi is distributed to 2,000 to 200,000 people. The elephants are then released back to the land by the temple trust to roam free until the next year’s procession.
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